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Combat Shotgun
The Combat Shotgun is an Auto Shotgun variant in Left 4 Dead 2. It holds up to ten shells with 90 in reserve. It is a Tier 2 weapon and spawns in the same places as its counterpart, the Tactical Shotgun. In early footage, the Combat Shotgun used the Auto Shotgun's animations as placeholders, but now it has its own animations. __toc__ Tactics * The Combat Shotgun is very effective at close range against major threats, such as the Tank, Witches, etc.. Ideally, Incendiary Ammo/Explosive Ammo should be used with this weapon when up against a Tank. * While the Combat Shotgun has a tighter spread and is thus slightly more accurate than the Tactical Shotgun, it is not a ranged weapon; nevertheless, it is marginally better at handling mid-range threats than the other auto shotgun. * Great care is needed on Expert mode because only one blast is enough to incapacitate a teammate. And if a misdirected shot hits an incapped player, that person is killed instantly. Switching to a melee weapon or Pistol is therefore almost essential if a Horde is attacking a team member. * Acquire the habit of reloading often since the less ammo there is in the magazine, the longer it takes to reload and bring the weapon back into action. Apart from high-pressure emergencies requiring full auto, a good idea is thus to reload after every couple of shots. * If caught with a empty, reloading weapon during a Horde, switch to a backup weapon or keep shoving as the shotgun will still carry on reloading in the interim. * Narrow hallways and choke points are ideal conditions for this weapon. A Horde trapped in such killing zones can be obliterated by the Combat Shotgun. * This weapon fires heavy buckshot that can easily penetrate thin walls and barriers at close range, although its stopping power is degraded by doing so. * Using a Laser Sight on the Combat Shotgun does nothing to enhance its technical accuracy. Its practical benefits are limited to showing teammates where a player is aiming and to confer a psychological advantage in the sense of being able to pick out a target with more confidence. * This weapon makes dispatching Witches incredibly easy (except on Advanced and Expert). All a player has to do is to get up close (preferably behind) and shoot her a few times, almost certainly killing the Witch and possibly Cr0wning her. This brutal capability can be handy on Versus as it obviates the need for the fine technique required for Cr0wning her. An aggressively startled and attacking Witch can also be dropped in her tracks if a Combat Shotgunner simply backs up to maintain distance and goes full auto on her central body mass. The ease of Cr0wning Witches with the Combat Shotgun can lead to multiple Cr0wnings in a single game. A good tactic would be to have a "designated Cr0wner" who would carry a Combat Shotgun and kill/Cr0wn any witch that comes in the way of the survivors. Pros and Cons Pros * It has high damage, making it incredibly effective at killing Infected at close range, and is better than the Tactical Shotgun at handling mid-range threats. * Is the best weapon for cr0wning a Witch because of the tighter spread than the Tactical Shotgun. * Despite the damage penalty, at close range, it can be a very effective weapon against a Tank, especially with Incendiary Ammo or when two or more people are holding one. * Has a fair amount of close-range penetration and is very effective at taking down Hordes. * Great for houses and cramped spots. * Works well with a Magnum or dual Pistols for far away targets. * Is reloaded with individual shells, so reloading often and early results in a very quick reload. * The gun can be partially reloaded; if a reload is started and not completed by switching to another item, the gun is not left with zero ammo as opposed to the guns that use magazines. Cons * Effectiveness is drastically reduced the farther away the shooter is from their target. Switch to pistols to handle ranged threats. * It has a very low amount of ammo, only being able to hold 10 shells at once. * Due to the high rate of fire and low ammunition, it is one of the easiest weapons to run out of shells for. * It has a tighter spread than the Tactical Shotgun does, meaning it is slightly less effective at taking down Hordes. * Although it can hit farther than its counterpart, the Smoker is still this shotgun's worst nightmare, and it can be difficult hitting a Spitter. * If it is low on ammo or out of ammo, it has an extremely long reloading time. * It is much less effective in open spaces where Hordes can spread out and attack you from multiple directions. * Friendly fire becomes an issue on higher difficulties. * Laser Sights do not improve anything―accuracy stays the same. * Suffers a 15% damage penalty against the Tank. Differences The Combat Shotgun is built for longer distances than the Tactical Shotgun, with a tighter spread, fewer pellets per shot, and more damage per pellet. This makes it more effective against individuals or small groups at medium range, but it is still largely ineffective at long distances. This also makes it slightly easier to cr0wn a Witch than with its counterpart. At extreme ranges, the Combat Shotgun's lower pellet count results in it having less hit chance than the Automatic Shotgun, despite the tighter spread. However, both shotguns are practically useless at these ranges. Behind the Scenes *Early beta footage showed that the Combat Shotgun used the Left 4 Dead Auto Shotgun animations, including pulling a non-existent stock when the gun was pulled out. It also seemed to have the same damage, fire rate, and so forth as the original Auto Shotgun early on. *Early videos show that the folding stock on the Combat Shotgun had an animation while moving. http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/50357 Notes * It is modeled after the Franchi SPAS-12. Although it features a folding stock, it is always folded up, a feature common in video games, since it makes the weapon more recognizable. * The in-game version features a 10-shell capacity while, in real world, it is only 8. * In reality, the SPAS is actually a dual-action shotgun, capable of being fired either as a pump-action or as a semiautomatic. But the pump-action setting is not used in Left 4 Dead 2. * The folding stock moves in the E3 gameplays when the player reloads the gun, but the in-game version does not, possibly due to the Survivors' thumb pressing against the stock. * The Combat Shotgun was rated 2nd in the Left 4 Dead 2 Top 10 FTW Weapons on Machinima. * According to a sign in Whitaker's gun shop, the Combat Shotgun is banned in 25 states. ** In reality, the SPAS-12 is only banned from importation (manufactured in Italy) and models in the USA can be transferred. Although a small number of states have banned the SPAS, including California, which banned it by name in the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989. However, some SWAT teams are equipped with the SPAS-12. * If you hold the fire key until the magazine is empty, you will not automatically reload unless you stop holding the fire button. * While reloading from empty, the gun can still be fired even before a round has been loaded into the firing chamber (also applies to the Left 4 Dead 2 Tactical Shotgun). * Within 100 game units, all shotguns deal 5x damage to Common Infected (making a difference on Expert Realism). These variables can be configured in the console. * All shotguns suffer from reduced damage against the Tank, which actually makes sense; buckshot is notorious among hunters for being a very poor option when hunting big or thick-skinned animals―a description that the Tank obviously fits well. * In The Sacrifice poster, Francis can be seen holding a Combat Shotgun. * Its accuracy is only exceeded by the Chrome Shotgun, and may be the best shotgun to use with explosive rounds, given that said ammunition turns a shotgun's normal buckshot into a slug with all pellet damage and the frag round's power in one bullet, as well as making the gun significantly more accurate. *Despite the production of SPAS 12 shotguns stopping at 2000, its appearance in ''Left 4 Dead 2 ''is not far from accurate as it is used widely by SWAT Teams. Gallery Spas12 2.png|Coach holding the Combat Shotgun. Sign gunshop combatshot.png|The Combat Shotgun's sign in Whitaker's gun shop. External Links Combat Shotgun in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIeP1pXMhFc&